What was meant to be a peaceful confluence of faith and devotion has spiraled into a frenzied media circus. MahaKumbh 2025, a festival deeply rooted in spirituality and sacred traditions, has been overshadowed by skyrocketing airline prices, over-the-top commercialization, and infrastructural mismanagement.
Once a means of divine connection, centered around prayer, meditation, and simplicity, the event now finds itself entangled in financial exploitation and excessing media coverage. It focuses more on grandeur and less on spirituality. Has the sacred lost its sanctity? Has commercialization taken over contemplation? As millions fly to Prayagraj, they find themselves not in a supposed heaven, but in a storm of logistical nightmares, inflated costs, and unfortunately, a tragic toll on human life.
We know how large corporations, news agencies, and social media influencers flooded the event, turning the same into a promotional carnival, rather than the expected serene religious experience. High-profile celebrities, political figures, and corporate-sponsored pavilions further led to Mahakumbh turning into a promotional carnival, leaving the actual devotees devoid of the serene religious experience they signed up for. This time, instead of quiet introspection and religious rituals, the Mela grounds were filled with cameras, reporters, and an overwhelming social media presence.
One of the most enraging issues this year was the huge surge in airline ticket prices. With an influx of pilgrims and tourists wanting to attend, airlines saw this demand and hiked the fares to exorbitant levels. Reports indicated that ticket prices to Prayagraj surged by over 300%, making travel almost impossible for middle-class and lower-income devotees. The situation got so worse that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had to step in to ensure affordability and accessibility. Reports also mention that special transport corridors, additional trains, and buses were arranged, however, by the time these corrective measures were implemented, many had already faced inconvenience and financial strain.
When you think things couldn’t get more absurd, the VIP “brigade” humbles you. As mentioned, big political and Bollywood hotshots paraded through the Mela with their entourages, leading to security getting busy protecting those sections of the events. Religious activities took a backseat as news channels scrambled for exclusive interviews with celebrity attendees. The result? Thousands of media personnel there forgot what they were there for, turning the spiritual event into a red-carpet affair.
Despite years of preparation, the sheer number of attendees overwhelmed the city’s infrastructure. The roads leading to the Mela were clogged like an overstuffed pipeline, accommodations packed beyond capacity, and sanitation facilities failed under the extreme pressure of the increasing number of people.
Stampedes erupted in multiple areas due to poor crowd control, leading to the demise of at least 30 people and countless others injured. Devotees present there to seek redemption or salvation were caught in an unfortunate life-and-death situation, ironically in the very place meant for peace and spiritual fulfillment.
The chaos did not stop there. Reports of heart attacks surged, with exhausted elderly devotees collapsing under extreme congestion and of course poor medical access. The situation worsened when a fire broke out in the area of makeshift tents. Emergency response? Delayed, overwhelmed, and underprepared.
We cannot just blame the authorities for the infrastructural collapse, the sheer lack of civic sense among attendees also played a huge role. Litter piled up in almost every corner, with plastic bottles, food wrappers, and discarded offerings polluting the holy river. Public restrooms overflowed as many chose to relieve themselves in open spaces instead. The devotees who complained about mismanagement left the spiritual place to be an environmental disaster. Instead of mutual respect and harmony, what prevailed was a mad rush, again an irony at an event meant to be all about faith and unity.
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